This webinar examines the role of Indigenous knowledge, epistemic justice, and equity in global ocean governance, exploring how local and global, scientific and political spheres intersect in shaping the future of the ocean. It interrogates how the concept of a “One Ocean”—lived and shared by many Indigenous communities—is mobilized within Western ocean diplomacy, raising a central question: are we truly constructing the ocean we want, or reproducing hierarchies and exclusions under the guise of inclusivity?The discussion highlights the growing presence of Indigenous peoples in international arenas, while critically examining the tension between formal inclusion and genuine decision-making power. Indigenous participation is often symbolic or instrumentalized, revealing how recognition does not always translate into authority or influence. From this perspective, the webinar foregrounds the deeply political question: who constitutes the “we” in “the ocean we want”?
Building on these reflections, and with Indigenous knowledge as a guiding thread, the seminar will be structured around research presentations, experience-sharing, and a report-back from the observation working group at the OOSC and UNOC. A discussion session, guided by concluding questions, will follow the presentations to open up dialogue. Overall, this will provide an opportunity to examine how Indigenous knowledge and local ocean practices are represented in governance spaces, as well as how small communities can become emblematic of “Indigenous knowledge” on the global stage.
Participants will analyze how these processes reshape local practices, power relations, and expectations, while examining the intersections of science, power, and capital in determining whose knowledge counts, who is allowed to speak, and which forms of knowledge are legitimized in international decision-making. At its core, the webinar critically reflects on inclusion, representation, and authority in ocean governance, asking not only how Indigenous knowledge is incorporated, but on whose terms—and to whose benefit.
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🗓️ Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
⌚ Hour: 1-3 PM online and on site
📍Place: Salle 207 PNBI, Plouzané
✍ Register
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Teriitutea Quesnot. Université Côte d’Azur – UMR ESPACE, Institut Universitaire de France
Integrating Indigenous knowledge into marine spatial planning in Oceania: challenges, limits, and perspectives
Georgeta Stoica. Université de Mayotte – ICARE Laboratory, Réunion U.
Who decides the lagoon? The political stakes of educational marine areas
Sandra Ranaivomanana. Institute of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (IH.SM), Université de Toliara, Madagascar
From Madagascar to Nice: feedback from a young researcher from the Global South facing the challenges and inequalities of participation in global science
Montse Pijoan. LEMAR, IRD, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer
“Oceanization” of traditional knowledge: tensions, boundaries, and dialogues
Elisabeth Cunin, URMIS, IRD, Université Côte d’Azur
The IPOS Barra del Colorado pilot project: dialogue of knowledges or “accelerated science”?
David Dumoulin Kervran, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, IHEAL-CREDA
Cross-cutting remarks on traditional knowledge in international conferences
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